Hello Reader,

Last year, I was prepping for a talk about mental models. I loaded up on research, took detailed notes, and felt ready. But by the time I rehearsed a week later, half of it had vanished. Not because I didn’t care—but because I hadn’t reviewed it. That gap between effort and recall? That’s the Ebbinghaus Forgetting Curve at work.

The curve describes how memory fades over time without reinforcement. The drop is steep at first—most of what we learn is forgotten within days unless it’s reviewed. Studies show we forget up to 70% of new information within 24 hours without review. But it’s not hopeless. With the right review intervals, memory becomes stickier and more durable over time.

That’s why this model lives inside Re:Mind, our toolkit for sharper thinking. If you missed the Kickstarter, we reached $8.5K in pledges and unlocked both stretch goals. Late pledges are still open.

Why Use It

Your brain is biologically wired to forget—it’s an energy-saving feature that filters out what doesn’t get reinforced. The forgetting curve visualizes this default decay so that you can design against it. Use this model to:

• Revisit high-leverage knowledge before it slips away
• Design spaced repetition into your routines
• Anchor learning so it survives long-term

When to Use It

The forgetting curve shows how memory fades sharply at first, then levels off. But if you understand the slope, you can counteract it with timely reviews. Use this model whenever you want something to stick:

• After a new hire’s onboarding, to reinforce workflows
• Post-conference, to lock in the most useful insights
• When learning a new language or technical skill

How to Use It

In Inside Out, we watch Riley’s memories move from short-term to long-term storage—or fade into the forgotten void. Core memories stick because they’re emotionally powerful and revisited. Others disappear simply because no one returns to them. The movie visualizes what the forgetting curve makes clear: without reinforcement, even meaningful moments vanish. Our minds need repetition—not just experience—for things to last.

Here’s how to work with the forgetting curve:

1. Review early and often: Revisit material within 24 hours, then space it out.
2. Use active recall: Don’t just re-read—try to retrieve from memory.
3. Track what fades: Build a second brain (digital or analog) to resurface key ideas.

Next Steps

Think about one concept, framework, or insight you’ve let fade. Revisit it today. And if you want to build a habit around this, schedule short review sessions weekly—the curve flattens when you show up.

Where It Came From

The Ebbinghaus Forgetting Curve was developed by German psychologist Hermann Ebbinghaus in the 1880s through experiments on memory decay. He showed that without reinforcement, memory retention follows a predictable pattern of rapid decline. His work laid the foundation for modern learning science and memory optimization techniques like spaced repetition.

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Until next time, keep exploring and questioning. Your unique perspective is your greatest asset.

Think Independently, JC

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